Tempe Diablo Stadium

Location
Tempe Diablo Stadium shares something in common with Angel Stadium in Anaheim: both are adjacent to office complexes and have a stretch of Interstate visible just beyond their outfield wall. Besides 1-10 and office buildings, the stadium is bordered by one of Tempe's Twin Buttes and the practice fields that take up the bulk of space within the Angels' 75-acre spring training complex.

Directions
Take 1-10 to the Broadway Road exit (#153 from the east or #153-B from the west). Travel west on Broadway to 48th Street and turn left. Travel south on 48th for 0.6 miles to Alameda Drive and turn left. The stadium is a little less than a half-mile ahead on the left.

Parking
There are two paved parking lots on opposite sides of the stadium. But those 1,350 spaces fill up well before game time. Most people will have to park in one of the lots at the office complexes across the street from the stadium. There will be people to guide you where you need to go. Also, both stadium lots have spaces reserved for handicapped parking so those with the proper permit can park nearby.
Cost: $5

Stadium Information
Tempe Diablo Stadium sits at the base of the Twin Buttes, one of which rises above the left field wall. The rocky hill with an American flag atop provides a stunning backdrop. Fitting given its hillside location, the stadium is built upon a small hill that necessitates fans to access it via stairs or a ramp, making Tempe Diablo Stadium the only non-street level ballpark in the Cactus League. The stadium's picturesque exterior facade is topped by the Angels' halo logo. Inside, pennants from the years the Angels have gone to the playoffs are affixed to the facade of the press box. The stadium first hosted spring training in 1969 and underwent an extensive $5.9 million renovation to lure the Angels to Tempe in 1993. In 2006, further renovations to the stadium and surrounding complex were completed at a cost of $20 million. Although the stadium itself is architecturally pleasing, the seating bowl features an overabundance of bleachers and all seats are serviced by a cramped concourse, both no-nos by modern-day standards. Games are played on Gene Autry Field, which was named in honor of the original and longtime Angels owner in 1999, the year after he passed away. As for the inclusion of Diablo in the stadium's name, it is done in honor of the Tempe Diablos, the local charitable service organization that has long been the city's spring training booster club. In fact, they were formed specifically to manage spring training operations at the stadium during its inaugural season and members of the Diablos continue to help out to this day, both inside and outside of "their" stadium.

Fast Facts

Most fans enter the ballpark through the entrance gates behind home plate. A limited number enter from gates behind first base. Either way, the gates can only be reached by stairs or the handicapped accessible ramps found on either side of the stadium.

The box office is at street level in a building just to the right of the staircases. There are eight ticket windows, and numbers 7 and 8 are used for Will Call.

The narrow concourse is open to the playing field and is covered by a trellised roof until it widens and becomes open-air past the third base dugout.

The Angels' bullpen is behind the right field fence, out of sight from fans. The visitors’ bullpen is in foul territory down the left field line, where it's very much accessible to fans.

The stadium's sole scoreboard is in right-center field and features a line score along with an equal-sized video panel.

The main Angels team shop is behind first base. A tent set up on the left field line concourse also carries plenty of merchandise and small satellite stands can be found elsewhere.

Practice Fields

The Angels' practice fields are next door to the stadium, extending from it to 48th Street. The big league fields are closest to the stadium and are simply numbered 1 and 2. The four fields arranged in a cloverleaf formation at the back of the complex are used by the team's minor leaguers for their practices and games.

During February workouts, the fields are accessible as soon as the Angels start their practice, which is usually in the 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. range.

The practice fields are also accessible on game day, when the Angels take their pre-game batting practice on the field next to the stadium's parking lot. Despite that, most fans choose to watch BP in the parking lot from behind left field of what's officially field #1.

Types of Seating
Bleacher seats outnumber stadium seats by a 3,570 to 3,231 count, but all seats in the stadium have backs. Traditional chair back seats with cup holders are between the dugouts, with bleacher benches beyond. A berm on the left half of the stadium can seat up to 2,300.

Stadium seats: Sections 5-17

Bleachers: Sections 1-4 and 18-24

Berm: Extends from the end of the third base grandstand to the hitters’ backdrop in left-center field.

Notes about the seating

The Angels dugout is on the first base side. To make sure you're on the home side of the stadium, buy your tickets in sections 11-24.

Sections 5-17 are sold as Field MVP or Homeplate MVP, sections 1-4 and 18-22 as Field Box, and sections 23-24 as Grandstand.

Handicap seating is available in platforms at the top of these sections: 2-7, 9, 13, 15-22.

The protective netting behind home plate extends from sections 7-15 but is barely noticeable to those sitting behind it.

For views of the Twin Butte sit anywhere on the right half (first base side) of the stadium. Seats on the left half provide only views of I-10 and skimpy palm trees as a backdrop.

Limited standing room is available on the covered concourse and also on the open-air patio down the left field line.

The only thing blocking fans from moving from one section to another are large crowds. Ushers won't. However, the ushers do enforce the policy of no standing in front of the green line that is on the covered concourse about five feet behind the last row of seats in every section. So standing somewhere good might be more difficult than finding a place to sit somewhere good.

Sections and rows

Rows for sections with stadium seats range as follows:
E to W in sections 5-6 and 16-17; A to W in sections 7, 9, 13, 15; A to Z in sections 8, 10-12, 14

Rows for sections with bleacher seats range as follows:
B to Z in section 1; B to W in sections 2-4 and 18-22; B to K in sections 23-24

There are no rows I, O or Q in any section.

Tickets

Sections 1-4 and 18-22 are sold as Field Box.

Sections 5-17 are sold as Field MVP.

Sections 23-24 are sold as Grandstand.

Space on the berm is sold as Lawn.

Children 3 years of age or older must have a ticket to enter the stadium.

Seats to avoid
A small handful of seats are partially obstructed by the green metal protruding from the tunnels that are cut into the grandstand. The tunnels are used by the players to access their clubhouses. The seats with obstructions are:

In section 7: seats 1-4 in row M.

In section 15: seats 9-13 in row M.

Seats in the two Grandstand sections (23-24) should only be bought as a last resort. Views from there are blocked by fans standing up in the Field Box sections, which happens when players walk by after they've been removed from the game. Even unobstructed views come at a price, as you'll have to crane your neck to the left for the whole game since the seats face towards the outfield. So given the choice of Grandstand or Lawn seating, choose the berm.

Seats in the shade
Very few. The only shade provided in the roofless stadium's seating sections is cast upon the upper rows primarily on the first base side and comes courtesy of the trellised roof over the concourse. Seats that are in the shade at game's beginning can be found in rows W & up in sections 10-12 and rows U & up in sections 13-22. As the sun slowly descends behind the grandstand during the game shade creeps downward so that rows P & up in sections 10-14 and rows T & up in sections 15-22 are shaded by 2:30.

VIP seating
Homeplate MVP seating makes up rows A-D in sections 7-15. The upper level structure next to the press box houses a pair of suites, which combined can hold about 50 people, and an extensive deck along the first base line that is appropriately referred to as the Upper Pavilion, where seating is limited to simple patio furniture mostly lacking views of the game. Officially known as the Bud Patio Upper Pavilion, its selling point is great views of the ball field and its backdrop when standing up and a buffet of free food.

Game Day
Gates open approximately an hour and a half before game time, which means 11:30 a.m. for the typical 1:05 p.m. start.

Food, drink and bag policy

Fans can bring water inside, up to one liter per person in a factory sealed plastic bottle. The only other beverages permitted are juice boxes, plus never opened milk bottles and baby formula for children.

Food is not allowed to be brought into the stadium in bulk quantities, which means no bags of fast food can pass through the stadium's gates. Homemade sandwiches are allowed. So too is fruit so long as it's sliced.

Getting autographs
Tempe is tops in the Cactus League in autograph accessibility. To guarantee you get a slew of signatures from the home team, arrive while the Angels are taking batting practice, which they do exclusively on the field adjacent to the west parking lot. After a group of players has finished hitting they walk from the practice field through the north end of the parking lot to the main stadium. The pathway is lined by a steel barricade only about three feet in height and the majority of players will stop to sign for fans gathered there. For the normal game time (1:05), the best timeframe to gather along the walkway is 11:15 to 11:30. In lieu of waiting in the parking lot, fans can try to get autographs from players as they are coming off the practice field through its exit in the left field corner, where the field's chain link fence gate is a flight of stairs then about 20 feet removed from the parking lot. Down there, fans can stand on either side of the two barricades that allow the players a path to pass through. Fans of the visiting team can head to the other parking lot, on the stadium's east (behind right field) side, where their bus parks and players depart it in close proximity to autograph seekers that must only stand behind a four-foot high beige stucco wall. The best time to be there is when the bus arrives, but that's a time that can vary depending upon the opposing team (roughly a 45-75 minute range before game time).

Inside the stadium, players sign down the outfield lines before the game. Visitors sign down the left field line, between their dugout and end of the grandstand with the best place to be generally section 3. Angel autographs can be had well down the right field line next to the tunnel between sections 22 and 23. That tunnel leads to the home team clubhouse and is the place to be after the game, as quite a few Angels (players and coaches) will sign near its entrance before continuing into their clubhouse.

Finally, for the true autograph hound, the Angels' player parking lot is easy to stake out, as it's merely the barricaded portion closest to the stadium behind right field. And within that secure part of the parking lot is the visiting team bus, which leaves fairly soon after the game from its usually autograph-accessible area.

Unique ballpark fare
Specialty food tents are found on the concourse down the left field line, which also features a picnic area and a lookout deck filled with high top bar tables. Unfortunately most of the choices there and throughout the stadium are fairly routine and a change in the concessionaire (from Aramark to Legends) in 2014 actually led to a lesser amount of non-mundane options to tempt your palate. So gone is the supersized portobello mushroom sandwich, garlic fries and more that came from the grills on the concourse that cook burgers, sausages and hot dogs during the game. That means the only left field line grills cooking up something creative are those that are furthest away from the main grandstand, where under the white tents in the left field corner the food found comes from local restaurants. So that's where to go to get stuff like street tacos and barbequed beef, chicken, pork or rib tips. Otherwise, you're left with the basics, so you'll have no problem finding nachos and the like. Beverage service is provided by Pepsi for soft drinks and what the concession stands and tents lack in food variety they offset with a wide array of draft beer offerings. At a "tap room" near home plate are four choices from Four Peaks, a brewery based in Tempe, and 14 more can be found elsewhere, ranging from those you expect (Coors Light) to tapped kegs of stuff you don't (like Firestone Double Barrel Ale).

Ballpark Area Info
Tempe Diablo Stadium is synonymous with congestion. The stadium is tightly fit into real estate bordered by a rock formation, industrial section and two traffic-clogged major highways. The end result is traffic headaches coming and going, the worst you'll find in spring training on either coast. Your options are limited to waiting it out. And as inviting as the 25-acre Twin Buttes are, they are off limits to anybody wanting to hike them as they are controlled by a Marriott Resort that has been built into their hillside.

Travelers' notes

The closest Interstate, I-10, runs parallel to the right field wall.

The entire area surrounding the stadium is quite safe. It's hard enough for regular folks to come and go thanks to the traffic. Criminals would have no chance to escape!